Chertoff, Cisneros: Immigration reform remains key to future of Texas

Securing our borders is vital to the success of legislative efforts

Updated 6:52 pm, Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Today, our nation is engaged in a critically important debate that will define the future of our economy and our country for some time to come.

Some 11 million undocumented individuals live in society's shadows, contributing to our nation's economy but unable to fully participate in American life. The costs associated with illegal immigration strain the already-stressed budgets of state governments with little federal support. Illegal immigration poses unique challenges to law enforcement authorities at all levels. And our system of legal immigration is based on outdated priorities that fail to serve the best interests of the United States.

The U.S. Senate's recent passage of bipartisan immigration reform legislation is an important milestone. By proposing a broad set of solutions covering both legal and illegal immigration, the legislation adopts a comprehensive approach commensurate with the scope of the challenge. While passage of the Senate bill moves us forward, much more work remains as the focus shifts to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Immigration reform - and the passage of a bill in both the House and the Senate - is vital to the future of Texas. Texas is home to millions of immigrants, both legal and undocumented. According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2010, Texas ranked among the top five states by number of immigrants and was second behind California as the state with the largest absolute growth in its immigrant population between 2000 and 2010. During this period, Texas also had the largest absolute growth in the total number of children with immigrant parents.

With Houston as an important "gateway" city for new immigrants, it's no surprise that Harris County is among the top counties in the United States with the largest immigration population - more than 1 million. And between 2000 and 2010, Harris County was the county in the U.S. that registered the greatest growth in the number of immigrants residing within its jurisdiction.

Border security must be a central element of any immigration reform plan. A border that protects against the illegal movement of weapons, drugs, contraband and people into our country is essential to securing the homeland and defending our nation's sovereignty.

While the Senate bill contained many important border security measures and physical enhancements, we believe that securing our border goes beyond physical barriers.

We encourage the House of Representatives to consider additional practical and realistic reforms to strengthen our borders and therefore our national security. Today, we will host a public forum at Rice University's Baker Institute to hear what the citizens of Houston think should be done to improve border enforcement. The forum's purpose is not to push a specific agenda, but to learn from those in Houston who are most directly affected.

The immigration challenge is so complex and so politically charged that it becomes easy to accept the mistaken view that no solutions are possible. We must avoid this trap and redouble our efforts to develop an immigration system that actually advances U.S. national interests.

The upside is great: A comprehensive approach to immigration reform will make our country more secure, more prosperous, more just and a positive example to other nations.

So, yes, there is plenty of room for honest disagreement on what the best approaches might be to advance these goals. But there is no room for obstruction. After all, nothing less than the future of Texas and our nation is at stake.

Chertoff, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, are members of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Immigration Task Force.